Guardian writers’ predicted position: 15th (NB: this is not necessarily Scott’s prediction, but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 13th

New era. It’s a term beloved of fans and media alike, conveniently rolled out whenever change has taken place at a club, when in most cases it amounts to little more than cyclical turnover or variation on an existing theme. At West Coast, however, a new era has genuinely begun. Were he around today, Kevin Peek might be tempted to add another verse to the Eagles’ club song he penned. “It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me” from Muse’s Feeling Good would seem appropriate.

The fresh winds gusting into Subiaco this year are courtesy of first-year senior coach Adam Simpson, who steps into the role vacated by John Worsfold. With his time at the club totalling 24 years – 12 as a player, 12 as a coach – Whoosha’s legend status at the Eagles approaches the reverence enjoyed by Kevin Sheedy at Essendon. As Simpson commented during a recent interview at the club: “We are sitting in the John Worsfold room, there are two oil paintings of him in here.”

Stepping into the size-million shoes of a figure such as Worsfold can go one of two ways for Simpson, himself a decorated former player with North Melbourne who served his coaching apprenticeship at Hawthorn under Alastair Clarkson. Under new management, the Eagles could plummet like Manchester United under David Moyes or soar, at least temporarily, like the Crows under Brenton Sanderson or Port Adelaide under Ken Hinkley.

The beauty of West Coast’s outlook this year is the playing list will be free of Worsfold’s ingrained view, for better or worse, and will be able to embrace a fresh approach. “There is one thing that I have been really conscious to say to our supporters and media, it is the [end of the] Worsfold era and what I am doing is just a different way of looking at the game,” Simpson said.

None of this is to suggest Worsfold wasn’t good for the Eagles – eight finals appearances, two grand finals and a flag is a fine return in anyone’s book – but even caviar can taste like haddock after a while. And the plus for Simpson is he doesn’t have much to live up to, not on the evidence of 2013 anyway.

On the back of fourth- and fifth-place finishes the previous two seasons, West Coast started 2013 as some sort of premiership fancy. It’s true the Eagles were beset by injuries, notably to key players Nic Naitanui, Beau Waters, Scott Selwood, Sharrod Wellingham, Shannon Hurn, Mark LeCras and Daniel Kerr. But all the same they were very disappointing, beating up on inferior teams but always succumbing to the benchmarks of the competition.

The return of Naitanui sparked a four-game winning streak, but it was a false dawn and West Coast ended up in 13th place after losing nine of their final 13 games. Worst of all, they looked to have given up, the 86-point home thrashing by Adelaide in round 23 rounding out three straight defeats by a cumulative 214 points.

Then the skin started to shed. Worsfold handed in his resignation after the Crows debacle, and following him out the door were star players Kerr, Adam Selwood, Andrew Embley and Mark Nicoski, as well as Brad Dick and Ashton Hams.

So onto the new age.

Simpson says he won’t try to turn the Eagles into Hawthorn 2.0, but the influences will certainly be there. “You have got to take elements of what you have learned because that is why you got the job,” he said. “There is no doubt I will take some things from Hawthorn.”

Look for the Eagles to increase their possession count and deliver the ball with greater precision. The word “attack” might even return to the vernacular. Simpson has also hinted at dual roles for some of his players. Forwards Jack Darling and LeCras, for example, may spend more time in midfield in 2014, and it will be interesting to see what Simpson has in mind for injury-plagued ex-Hawk Xavier Ellis.

“With the new rotation cap the ability to play in different areas is something we need to educate in our players,” Simposon says.

Whichever direction he decides to take the club, on paper he has the playing list to make it work. Matt Priddis, Eric Mackenzie and Josh Kennedy were all excellent in 2013, while the aforementioned stars who struggled with injury will be looking to make up for lost time.

But the one man all at West Coast will be hoping doesn’t go down again this year is Naitanui. His ruck/forward combination with the evergreen Dean Cox was a cornerstone of the Eagles’ resurgence in 2011-12, and it was no coincidence that the Eagles struggled last year without him. As well as doing plenty around the ground, Nic-Nat’s dynamic tapwork brings West Coast’s on-ballers to life. So exciting and inspiring, his return in 2014 will be better for the game as well as the Eagles.

No club in the land has regenerated like West Coast, but, with Fremantle looking to climb through their premiership window, the Eagles won’t even be the most-watched team in their state. But the lack of attention will suit Simpson as he tries to turn the Eagles from flops to finalists in just one year. It won’t be easy, but with a new era comes new hope.